Towards a ‘transatlantic Green Deal’? How the EU can re-engage the United States on climate change. College of Europe Policy Brief December 2020.

Schunz, Simon (2020) Towards a ‘transatlantic Green Deal’? How the EU can re-engage the United States on climate change. College of Europe Policy Brief December 2020. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

Following the election of Joe Biden as US President on a strong climate and ‘clean energy’ platform, 2021 opens a window of opportunity to make progress towards a successful implementation of the Paris Agreement. The European Union needs to seize this opportunity to re-connect with the US by supporting the Biden Administration in its aspirations of adopting ambitious policies domestically and of co-leading the global fight against climate change. Practically, the EU can re-engage the US through a multi-layered outreach aimed at a dialogue and best-practices exchange centred around the European Green Deal and Biden’s clean energy plan. Even if the differences between the two plans make a ‘transatlantic Green Deal’ currently not realistic, they allow for solid grounds to re-dynamise EU-US cooperation. Capitalising on this bilateral re-engagement, the EU should also deploy its global network of partnerships to facilitate the US re-integration into the global climate regime. To enhance the effectiveness of its climate outreach vis-à-vis the US, the EU must bolster its credibility through a successful implementation of its Green Deal and double down on its capacities for transatlantic climate diplomacy, notably by investing into public diplomacy aimed at fostering cross-Atlantic debates on the carbon-neutral societies of the future.

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